HELP Network e-Conference / 8 July 2020
· Mrs Secretary General, Mr President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Mrs Ambassador of the European Union, dear members of the HELP Network, dear friends, it is my pleasure to open the 2020 HELP Network e-conference, on behalf of the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, the Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis.
· Greece has assumed the presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe at a time coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the signing of the European Convention on Human Rights, in Rome, in 1950. But also in the context imposed to us by the COVID-19 pandemic.
· These times have brought about many restrictions on human rights. To apply these restrictions in line with the European standards, national actors need to know those standards.
· For this, we can count on the HELP Programme as the main human rights training platform of the Council of Europe for legal – and increasingly other – professionals.
· The links between the priorities of the Greek Presidency of the Committee of Ministers and the work of the HELP Programme, including this Conference, are evident. The main theme of the Greek Chairmanship is “Protection of human life and public health in the context of a pandemic – Effectively responding to a sanitary crisis in full respect for human rights and the principles of democracy and the rule of law”. At the same time, the theme of this year’s HELP Conference is «Marking 70 years of the ECHR in critical times». And one of the main events of the Greek Presidency is also dedicated to marking the 70 years’ anniversary of the ECHR, a Convention that has stood as a compass in the European human rights protection system, and a living instrument through its case law, crucial for those in charge of implementing it: justice professionals.
There is a strong link between human rights education and the proper functioning of the principle of subsidiarity, by which national authorities, in particular judicial ones, have the responsibility to apply and safeguard the rights of Europeans in the first instance. For this, training at the national level is key. Because, as we all know, the European Court of Human Rights can only be referred to when national remedies have been exhausted.
· Coming back to the Greek Chairmanship priorities, we can see that many are covered by topical HELP courses. Apart from the HELP course on Introduction to the ECHR and the Court that will be later presented, let me name a few of them.
The HELP course on Bioethics, focusing on human rights principles in biomedicine, has been extremely requested since the start of the pandemic.
One of our thematic priorities refers to Children as vulnerable persons, particularly those facing poverty, violence, trafficking, forced labour or any other kind of exploitation. The HELP courses on Child-friendly Justice and Family Law, as well as the course on Combatting trafficking in human beings, are very relevant for this priority.
In addition, as the Greek Presidency is paying close attention to the issue of unaccompanied migrant minors, HELP has a course on Refugee and Migrant Children, and a new one on Alternatives to Immigration Detention that will be presented this year.
When it comes to the youth and links to University students, it is good to see that the new initiative OCEAN (Open Council of Europe Academic Network) will be presented during the Conference.
Another important topic of the Greek Presidency is the focus on Social rights. And HELP has a lot to offer in this respect: the HELP courses on Fight Against Racism, Xenophobia, Homophobia and Transphobia or the HELP course on Labour Rights, both of which have been launched in Greece. The HELP Programme is also developing a separate module on the European Social Charter that will be published by the end of the year on our platform.
· And there are many other areas where the priorities and the agenda of the Greek Presidency work towards the same goals as HELP’s courses, such as violence against women or protection of the environment.
· It is also a pleasure for me to say that many Greek professionals have also benefitted from HELP. With more than 2.800 users, Greece is among the top 10 countries regarding users of the HELP online platform.
· 10 HELP courses are already available in Greek in the HELP online platform and others will follow.
· Finally, there has been excellent cooperation with the national partners: the Greek National School of Judiciary as well as the Bar associations, for instance the Athens Bar association being a very active member of the HELP Network.
· I assume the representative of the Greek National School of Judiciary and HELP Focal Point, Mr Alikakos, will also refer to the cooperation of the relevant national institutions with the HELP Programme. It is my pleasure to see that the Greek Info Point, Ms Kostopoulou is also an active member of the HELP Consultative Board and a HELP tutor herself. I sincerely hope that this cooperation will continue and even expand in future.
· Dear friends, let me conclude by wishing you a fruitful and interesting Conference.